The trailer looked good, but I still don't understand this new direction they're going in. Rockstar was on a roll with games in underused settings with Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire. The original noir vibe of the first two MP games would have continued this trend nicely, so it's puzzling that they changed it something that looks like it's straight out of GTA.

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"Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip? To get to the same side." - The Big Bang Theory

The graphic novel cut-scenes are back for Max Payne 3, but instead of a static panel or page, we're creating an almost motion-comic feel that blends in-game footage, text and Max's iconic monologue, which are over laid on the game to produce something that is pretty amazing and really helps give the game a digital noir feel.

plus changes to bullet time:

Quote

Much like the originals, Max Payne 3 is about combining groundbreaking action with powerful characterization in a way that feels completely fresh and new. A massive part of this in all three games is the concept of Bullet Time: the choreography of shooting and manipulating time to create the most precise, action-packed gunplay possible. We want players to get a sensation of placing and reacting to every single bullet with precision and style and getting to savor the results.

Max's signature Bullet Time moves are back, but upgraded with the level of sophistication and detail that we can bring to an action game in 2011. A combination of our RAGE engine, blended animations and Natural Motion's Euphoria system control Max's movements, making him react to the world around him realistically, bracing for impact from a diving shoot-dodge or transferring his weight from foot-to-foot while in Bullet Time – the player has an amazing amount of control over the player when running and targeting.

Bullets are individually modeled, and hits register dynamically and individually on every enemy. Every gun is modeled as accurately as possible, with the hammer and slide cocking back after each shot. There are also some additional new features to gunplay in Bullet Time that we'll reveal soon. Our goal is to set a new benchmark for sophistication and feel in a 3rd-person shooter – we've really tried to make the experience as intense and focused as possible.

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Because I can,also because I don't care what you want.XBL: OriginalCeeKayWii U: CeeKay

Which looks great yeah - I'm still concerned about the noir feel of the game which so far seems to be entirely missing. Honestly, they seem to be taken this in the direction of games like Mafia 2, GTA and Saints row instead of keeping what was the USP of Max Payne - the gritty noir story telling, on top of the technological awesomeness of things like bullettime and great graphics.

We’ve been blessed with being able to actually see the game and give some feedback. We’ve been meeting with Rockstar and looking at Max 3 - it looks absolutely phenomenal - the nice thing is we’ve been giving our feeling on the game but at the end of the day we don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting, which is nice. Rockstar don’t make bad games, so you already know it’s going to be good. Just like we hope the Remedy brand is a seal of quality, you know that Rockstar’s brand is a seal of quality. It’s been nice to be part of the process, but we don’t want to take any of the limelight. From what we’ve seen it’s going to be absolutely fantastic.

take it for what you will.

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Because I can,also because I don't care what you want.XBL: OriginalCeeKayWii U: CeeKay

Launching on May 29th in North America and June 1st in Europe, the PC version of Max Payne 3 will feature gloriously increased resolution and graphical detail in both the epic story and the explosive multiplayer modes.

Steam has MP3 up for pre-order, but I'll bet Razgon's uterus that you'll be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

oh you little minsk - does that mean we are back together, all this playful banter?

nope, I'm just using your organs for betting purposes.

Quote from: EngineNo9 on April 11, 2012, 04:40:47 PM

Quote from: CeeKay on April 11, 2012, 01:53:08 AM

Steam has MP3 up for pre-order, but I'll bet Razgon's uterus that you'll be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

But then I won't have it on Steam...

I thought they announced it was a Steamworks title, but guess not. with great sales on Amazon and Green Man Gaming I find myself not limiting myself to Steam anymore; if only they were smart and price matched like Amazon tend to do.

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Because I can,also because I don't care what you want.XBL: OriginalCeeKayWii U: CeeKay

Steam has MP3 up for pre-order, but I'll bet Razgon's uterus that you'll be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

But then I won't have it on Steam...

I thought they announced it was a Steamworks title, but guess not. with great sales on Amazon and Green Man Gaming I find myself not limiting myself to Steam anymore; if only they were smart and price matched like Amazon tend to do.

Yeah, if Steam added release day price matching I would just give them all of my money in preorders. All of it.

I have a 2500K, 8GM ram, and Nvidia 580 and able to run the game at 1920x1080 with everything maxed except MSAA which I've turned off completely and it's ran great. When I tried turning on MSAA the cursor was very laggy, I've read others have had the same problems. Everything is just sharp and smooth and one of the best looking games I've played. The death cams are really great and the slow motion effect is awesome. The sound design is great and the weapons have a nice kick to them.

I rented the 360 version last week and knew right away that I was going to wait on the PC version, the 360 version looked good but nowhere close to the PC(duh). I tried playing with the 360 controller and moving around felt a little janky, I didn't notice this in the 360 version so that was a little strange. I play on my TV and usually like to use a controller but the game plays so much better with kb/mouse. I do have a little trouble with the blind fire and aiming in that the cursor isn't always on the screen until I shoot so initially I'm unsure where I'm going to be aiming when coming out of cover.

The game does have some things that need to be addressed though. The checkpoint system is not that great, sometimes you can go long stretches and it won't take a checkpoint so you have to replay some long sections and I haven't found a way to stop the cutscenes on a replay so that's a pain to have to watch a long cut scene 3 or more times. The difficulty spikes in places where sometimes I feel like I don't even have a chance to survive. Other than those gripes I'm really liking the game and having a fun time playing. I haven't tried multi-player yet but hope to get in a match this weekend.

The difficulty spikes in places where sometimes I feel like I don't even have a chance to survive. Other than those gripes I'm really liking the game and having a fun time playing. I haven't tried multi-player yet but hope to get in a match this weekend.

I've played two hours of the PC version so far, and it feels almost exactly like the previous Max Payne games in how it plays. Those were extremely difficult at times too, leading to dozens of deaths just to get past a single battle. It's the way these games work. It's problematic that the checkpoints sometimes (but not always) require you to watch cutscenes again however. This all worked in MP1 and 2 because saving and loading was instantaneous.

Finished the game this weekend on PC. It follows the old Max Payne design very closely, to the point where some players may get very frustrated with it. In comparison, the Crushing difficulty in Uncharted 2 and 3 is comparable to the Medium difficulty in MP3. You'll die quickly and often. You'll pass a corner and be immediately peppered with bullets that take away all your health before you have even the slightest chance to react. You'll find yourself facing impossible odds, with enemies flanking both sides of your rather lackluster cover. But then something clicks, and you suddenly start to feel powerful. You find yourself being able to overcome these impossible odds without taking any damage. It takes a bit of effort, but it's very satisfying.

I struggled with the early parts of the game, taking too much damage even during encounters that should have been easy. I also found that my bullet time meter hardly ever filled up even halfway, which made me struggle even more. When I discovered my mistake the game suddenly became a whole lot easier. The secret was to stop shoot-dodging. I was doing it all the time, but that's a really bad idea. Do it only when you're under fire and away from cover, and try to dodge in a direction that gives you cover when you land. Use your bullet time meter for actual bullet time instead, which is far more useful. When you pop up from cover, activate bullet time and take out 2-3 enemies, then deactivate it and hide again. Repeat. Take out enemies QUICKLY! You haven't got the luxury of time in this game. Go for headshots at all times. Use blindfire if you're under a lot of pressure, but keep in mind that even that won't keep you safe from damage if you keep doing it for too long. If you're struggling with an encounter, try rethinking it. There's almost always more than one way to deal with difficult situations, and the best ones might not be obvious at first.

As for the story and setting, it felt very much like Max Payne to me, and that's coming from someone who has finished each of the two previous games at least 5 times each (including on the highest difficulties). The story is well told and lengthy. You'll be spending almost as much time watching cutscenes as you will be actually playing the game, but it works very well. It's dark and bleak, and in typical Max Payne fashion the people he interacts with tend to die horribly whether he wants to or not.